


the m factor

by thunderylee



Category: Japanese Actor RPF, KAT-TUN (Band), NewS (Band)
Genre: Canon Universe, F/M, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-03
Updated: 2009-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-01 22:18:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12713955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: They should really pay more attention to what they’re typing.





	the m factor

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck.

It starts with a misplaced message and ends with the fire department in their kitchen.

“I _mailed_ you,” Maki says huffily. “I said ‘please stop by at lunch and turn the oven off’.”

“I didn’t get it!” Meisa replies, pulling her phone out of her pocket to shove in Maki’s face. “See? No messages!”

Right then Maki’s phone rings. Both girls stare at it as Nakamaru’s name flashes on the screen, and Maki inevitably answers. “Hello?”

“I just got your mail,” Maru says frantically. “Did you mean to send it to me? Because I’m filming across town. And I don’t actually have a key to your apartment.”

Maki’s face falls into her hands while Meisa laughs hysterically.

And that’s how Maru ends up with Meisa’s number, just in case it happens again.

::

Maru plays with his phone while Kame and Jin bicker about formation. A blank mail box comes up on the screen and Maru starts typing, shooting off a rather lengthy rant about the stick in Kame’s ass and how he needs to get laid by someone other than transvestites, knowing that Massu will say something to make him feel better.

A few blocks away, Meisa almost drives off the road from laughing so hard when she checks her phone. She has to pull over to compose herself, forwarding the message to Maki so that she can be amused as well.

_You should have seen how he was on set_ , she types back. _I almost slept with him out of pity_.

Maru falls out of his chair when he gets the response, big-eyed at the blatant admission from his best friend. Never mind that Kame and Massu have never filmed anything together, Maru’s entire focus is on the thought of them doing things that he should never think about, _ever_. At least not with Kame.

His crash interrupts Jin and Kame’s argument, and five heads turn to look at him. “You should really sleep more, Yuichi,” Koki says in concern.

Maru just nods as his phone goes off again. It’s a new message from Massu and he’s not sure whether he wants to read it or not. Since Koki’s giving him a weird look, he just flips open his phone and hopes for the best.

_I really want to see you! Let’s meet for dinner._

The second time he falls out of his chair, he decides it best if he just remains on the floor.

::

Massu wrings his wrists in the mirror, checking his reflection for the seventeenth time. He pats his short hair, frowning at the lack of things he can do with it, but he thinks he makes up for it with his orange and purple zig-zagged sweater. It matches the bright yellow sun patches on his jeans.

He whistles as he walks down the street, debating whether to get flowers or not. It’s not like this is a _date_ ; just two friends meeting for a meal. People have to eat, may as well not do it alone.

And Ryo might have threatened to tell _everyone_ about Massu’s little ‘crush’ had he not finally extended the invitation. While he was the most surprised that it was agreed to so quickly, he’s certainly not going to complain.

When he gets to the restaurant, he sees Nakamaru waiting anxiously outside the front doors. Not that him being anxious is uncommon, but his anxiety seems to be directed at Massu. “Oh no, did something happen to Maki-chan?”

Maru blinks. “Huh?”

“You mentioned something about them having phone problems the other day,” Massu explains. “Did she mail you instead of me?”

It seems like a long time Maru stares at him, his expression slowly turning into one of relief as he starts to laugh. “Let me see your phone.”

Massu hands it over and watches as Maru expertly pushes the buttons. And laughs harder as he shows Massu the message he had sent earlier, to _Maru_ and not Maki. “Oh, I must have gotten mixed up.”

“Apparently it happens a lot,” Maru tells him. “Maybe you can still get a hold of her..?”

“Nah, I doubt she will be free on such small notice.” Massu grins at him. “Since we’re both here, let’s just eat together!”

Maru smiles. “Okay.”

::

“We seem to have a problem here,” Maki says strongly, taking charge as she surveys the three faces across from her. “Our names are too close together and we keep mailing the wrong person.”

Massu’s face is bright red, but that might be because he’s sitting in Maki’s living room next to a girl he really doesn’t know. “I apologize -” he starts.

“I want suggestions,” Maki cuts him off. “How can we stop this?”

“Nicknames!” Meisa squeals. “I want to be Queen MeiMei.”

They both stare at Maru. “Um, Jin calls me Big Nose.”

“We could use the person’s name in our messages,” Massu thinks out loud. “That way you’ll know right away if it’s intended for you or not.”

“That’s a good idea,” Maki says, and Massu beams. “Let’s start doing that, and if the message isn’t for you, just forward it to the person to whom it’s addressed.”

“I don’t have his number,” Meisa says slowly, pointing to the man sitting next to him. “You’re Masuda, right?”

Massu nods, passing over his phone when she nudges him with hers. Silently they input their numbers and return the devices, probably the only time Massu’s ever gotten a girl’s phone number without knowing her last name.

“Okay,” Maki says decidedly. “Now while we’re all here, did anybody get any weird mails they want to clear up?”

“Um,” Maru starts, turning to Massu. “You’ve never worked with Kame, right?”

Meisa snorts. “That was me.”

“ _Oh_.” Maru sighs in relief. “That makes more sense.”

Massu looks at Maru quizzically. “What happened?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Maru says quickly.

Meisa laughs.

“Masuda-kun,” Maki says gently. “Nakamaru-kun said he got a mail that was meant for me? Was it important?”

“N-Not at all,” Massu stutters, ignoring Maru’s conspicuous jabs in the side. “Just seeing how you were.”

She smiles warmly. “I’m good, thank you.”

He nods and stares at his hands.

“Well, now that that’s all settled,” Meisa says with a firm clap. “Let’s beg Maki-chan to cook for us.”

“Hey, wait a minute -” Maki starts.

“I’ll help,” Massu volunteers immediately.

Maki’s face softens. “Well, in that case, okay.”

Maru and Meisa exchange a look as the other two head to the kitchen. Meisa raises an eyebrow and Maru shrugs.

::

Maru’s phone goes off in the middle of dinner, and he nearly chokes when he reads it. _[Meisa] Help, I think I like Masuda-kun_.

Across the table, Maki’s eyes get big as she figures out what happened and silently pleads with Maru to not say a word. He doesn’t, just forwards the message to Meisa like he’s supposed to.

They both freeze when Massu’s phone goes off instead. If Maru were thinking clearly, he’d snatch it and delete the message before Massu could read it, but instead he just watches in horror as Massu’s eyes calmly move down the screen without any expression.

Then he goes back to eating.

Maki gasps in indignation. “That’s it?”

Both Massu and Meisa turn to look at her. “Hmm?”

She’s staring hard at Massu. “Don’t you have something to say?”

“Um…” Massu looks helplessly at Maru, who doesn’t know what to do. “Dinner is really good?”

Maki slams her hand on the table and everybody jumps. She looks like she’s about to cry, or scream, or throw things, and that’s when Maru gets the idea to send Massu advice via text message. But when he goes to pick up his phone, there’s something already on it. _Message undeliverable; please try again later._

“Maki-chan,” Maru says slowly as he realizes what happened.

Maki is paying him no attention. “Normally when a girl confesses, you should at least acknowledge it! No matter how it’s transmitted.”

Massu blinks a couple times and looks at his phone, then back at Maki. “Did you confess to Yamashita-kun?”

“ _What_?” the other three people ask in confusion.

“Um…” Massu points to his phone. “Yamashita-kun just messaged me with a new time for tomorrow’s practice. Then Maki-chan got mad, so I thought that maybe she somehow knew -”

“Oh, screw it,” Maki interrupts him heatedly. “Masuda-kun, I like you.”

“Me?” Massu replies, sitting up straighter in his seat. “You do?”

Meisa and Maru watch in amusement as they continue to eat.

“Yes,” Maki says firmly. “I think you’re very nice, and cute -”

“I meant to ask you out,” Massu blurts out in a rush of words. “But I asked out Nakamaru-kun instead.”

Maki laughs as she points her chopsticks at Maru. “Did you have fun on your date?”

“It was great,” Maru replies. “Masuda really knows how to show someone a good time.”

Massu’s laughing now, although Maru thinks that it’s more out of embarrassment than anything else.

Meisa just shakes her head. “Maybe we should just start calling each other.”

~bonus~

The third time that Massu comes over to make dinner with Maki, Meisa insists that he bring along Nakamaru. “Or anyone, really. I feel left out.”

It ends up being Nakamaru because he has nothing better to do, and because it somehow seems appropriate that the four of them would start hanging out together. While Maru still gets Meisa’s messages from Maki to pick up things from the store, neither one has been on the unintended receiving end of any kind of _incriminating_ mail between the newly dating couple.

“I wonder why that is,” Meisa hisses while Massu and Maki are in the kitchen. “She mails him _constantly_.”

Maru’s eyes flicker to Maki’s phone, abandoned on the arm of the couch. Meisa follows his gaze and her face lights up as she stealthily peeks into the kitchen and quickly makes the snatch.

The contacts list look normal, although Massu is no longer included in the M’s that had previously contained all three of them. “Does she seriously type in his number manually every time?” Meisa wonders out loud. “What do they talk about where she has to be _that_ paranoid?”

Maru thinks that it’s better not to speculate on that and turns the keypad towards him. “It will usually tell you who you’re calling when you type the number.”

When the name pops up, they’re both too astounded to actually end the call before it’s placed.

“Maki-chan, why are you calling me?” Massu’s voice sounds from the kitchen, and both Meisa and Maru rush to clear the screen and place the phone right back where it was, leaning back against the couch and trying to look casual.

Maki races out and glares at them. “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Meisa says innocently. “Better get back to _Sunshine_.”

Maru snorts.

Seething, Maki looks over her shoulder and wags a finger pointedly at Meisa. “I hate you.”

“You love me,” Meisa replies.

Maki makes a face at her and sets her smile back before returning to the kitchen.

“Hey,” Maru says suddenly to Meisa. “How come _you’ve_ never sent a misguided message?”

Meisa presses her lips together like she’s trying not to laugh. “Because I pay attention.”


End file.
